Facebook, Essay Example

It is difficult to imagine an internet technology that has impacted our private and work lives as much as the social media. Even among the social media, one company stands out from the rest of the competition and that company is Facebook. Facebook has become almost an integral part of our lives and rarely a day goes by when we don’t access Facebook. But Facebook’s popularity is not merely the outcome of a chance. We write on Facebook because we believe it helps us better express ourselves and meets our information and social needs.

We write on Facebook because we believe it helps us in studies. When we take classes, it is not always easy to introduce ourselves to everyone in the course. But we know that most of our classmates are on Facebook so we befriend them and write to them in order to break the ice. All of us have busy lives and not everyone has time to meet outside class for discussions and group study. Thus, we turn to academic discussion boards on Facebook which can be accessed anywhere through an internet-enabled device. We also like the fact that whatever we write on Facebook becomes a permanent record and stays there for us to return to it later or for others to read it whenever they are free. We realize that written communication is sometimes better when everyone is busy. We also like Facebook because we feel more confident in expressing ourselves in writing. When writing on Facebook we do not worry about being judged by others or being embarrassed. We also don’t see others’ reactions to what we may be saying which makes it easier to express ourselves. Thus, written communication on Facebook appeals to us not only because it is convenient but also because we become more confident and bolder in expressing ourselves.

We also write on Facebook because we like to express ourselves. It is one of our basic needs to be listened to which is why we seek friends with whom we can share anything. The benefit of writing your ideas and thoughts on Facebook is that there is a wide audience. We hope that not only others will get to understand us better but we also hope we may win new admirers who agree with our opinions. We may not always admit it but everyone likes to be popular whether in school, at work, or among friends. Thus, by writing on Facebook, we hope the audience will admire us more as they get to understand us better. We also hope we will find more people who think like us and support us. In fact, a research study titled Digital Youth Project also found that one of the reasons social media such as Facebook is popular is because it connects youths to connect with like-minded people (Goff).

One of the effects of the internet has been greater awareness of political and social issues. We like to show to others we care about social and political issues and one of the ways we show is through expressing ourselves on Facebook. Facebook had over one billion members as of October 2012 (Smith, Segall and Cowley) which means political and social dialogues will only continue to grow over time. We also write on Facebook to interact with people from other cultures because most of us have dreams of global peace.

We also write on Facebook because we have communicated written communication for much of the oral communication that used to take place before social media. Now we don’t have to call friends to stay up-to-date because we assume that by posting important news, we put it there for everyone to see. In other words, written communication is not only convenient but also more efficient. Similarly, we have also embraced written communication on Facebook because our friends have done the same. Our friends also influence us because we feel compelled to comment when they post something or share some important news.

Before social media, we would often seek others for advice but now Facebook has made it easier for us to do the same. When we need advice or information that internet research doesn’t provide us or doesn’t provide the answer that properly answers our question, we write the question in Facebook. While internet search engines have become significantly advanced, human language is more complex which is why we do not always get the best information or answer on search engines. But on Facebook, we know actual people will read our question and will understand our question exactly, thus, the answer is more likely to be to the point.

It is clear that we write on Facebook because Facebook has helped us understand the benefits of written communication such as permanent record and a wider audience. We also write on Facebook to express ourselves, become more popular, and find people who are like us.

Works Cited

Goff, Karen Goldberg. Social networking benefits validated. 28 January 2009. 13 November 2013 <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/28/social-networking-benefits-validated/?page=all>.

Smith, Aaron, Laurie Segall and Stacy Cowley. Facebook reaches one billion users. 4 October 2012. 13 November 2012 <http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/04/technology/facebook-billion-users/index.html>.